This is part IV of the thread. This will be the final thread no matter how long it gets because all the information may be lost if new threads are created. Unfortunately Parts I, II, and III weren't archived and all that info is gone.

Does anybody know anything about "rosin flux"? I've read that it REALLY helps solder to stick to stuff and you only need to apply a tiiiiiiiiiiny bit. Has anybody had any experience using this stuff? And if you have, what's it like?_________________

Rosin Core solder is used for electrical work since it conducts electricity where some other solders do not. I highly recommend that you use it and that you pick the smallest size you can find to make things easy, also make sure you have a good low watt iron because a huge gun is a pain to use Flux is used to clean solder as it welds to the metal so it sticks better you can go without it but it will sometimes help keep the contact with the circuit board good.

The guy hosting the vids said that they're gonna be down during the daytime since he was getting so many hits for it. You can however download them after 7pm EST I believe. I don't have the money or connections to get them hosted permanently on a speedy site.

As far as lighting goes, I don't think I'll be able to light the panels off of the controller's power. The voltage is high enough, but the amperage is lacking. Normal LEDs will light on the controller's power, but Ultrabrights would be required to produce enough light. The increased brightness comes at the cost of more amperage. I'll be using an external power source. At the moment I'm looking into ways to reduce the amperage before it hits the controller instead of using relays... hopefully it'll be a bit simpler/cheaper to put together._________________

Blue Beefman, about your design, is it adjustable as far as height goes? If the setup is too low and the acrylic ends up sitting lower than the brackets, how would one adjust it to sit correctly?_________________

well, the way I keep it from sitting too low is I dint tighten the screws ALL the way down, I just tighten them til tehy are just hitting the brace, I do this by setting the torque on my electric drill low, like at 1 or 2, then once it torques its in its proper place and doesnt need adjusting. But the acrylic wont sit low at all, cause the silcone tubing keeps it up._________________

wow im so happy! i almost finished with my pad! i just wanted to thank everyone for all their wonderful directions and such. all i need to do is finish up the wiring and test it unfortunately im out of solder so i can't finish it no but i know its going to be totally sweet! thanx everyone!

Right now construction has gone a little slow this week. Ugh, solder is such a pain. The smoke that comes from melting the solder, having it not stick...and most of all, it's a sony psx controller. The ones that I've soldered so far work, but it's a pain. Next time, I'm just going to get a cheap $5 contoller and save myself the hastle.

I've look at the tips and guides on soldering, but it still seems that I'm doing something wrong. Is it normal for the solder to seem to be burning and/or having it smoke?

Since I've been busy this week (not to mention the 6 inches of snow!), it's been slow for me to go over the forum III. I might compile the FAQ this weekend and just edit as I have time.

riptide: I could host those for you but I wolud have to change them to realplayer... or make them smaller somehow...and you wouldn't be able to stream them.. I would have to put them in .zip files. so if your intrested hit me up on msn or something_________________

I readjusted the down arrow to ensure all screws were in securely. When I try to play, the only things that works are the song selection up and down. But during the song I get no response.

Im guessing that its a problem iwth your controller and not pad, becuase the arrows work in the menu... so obiousally they are working and thats not the problem, so my guess is your controller is freaked up_________________